Easy Asian meals you can make (and what you need to have in your pantry)

Asia is a delicious diverse continent. Invite just a few of its abundant aromas and tantalizing tastes into your home and you’ll be transported.

Mackerel in herb butter

Serves 4 

Total time 20 min

• Butter, softened 1/2 cup
• Fresh coriander, chopped a small handful
• Mackerel fillets 4
• Salt and coarsely ground black pepper
• Olive oil 2 tbsp
• Lemon, juiced 1

Lime or lemon wedges for serving

1. Combine the butter and coriander in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Pat down the fillets with paper towel to remove excess moisture.
3. Season on both sides.
4. Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the fish, skin-side down, for about 3 minutes or until golden.
5. Add the lemon juice and half the coriander butter to the pan.
6. Flip the fillets to fry them on the other side.
7. Continuously baste the fillets with butter while frying for another 2-3 minutes.
8. Remove the fish from the pan and drizzle the drippings. Serve with extra herb butter and lemon or lime wedges.

Top tip

This recipe works well with hake or any other sustainable white fish.

Asian-inspired chicken meatballs

Serves 6   

Total Time 30-35 Min

For the meatballs

• Chicken mince 500g
• Spring onions, chopped 2
• Sesame or canola oil 1 tbsp
• Soy sauce 1 tbsp
• Ginger and garlic paste 1 tsp
• Salt
• Coarsely ground black pepper
• Canola oil for frying

For the sauce

• Soy sauce 1/4 cup
• Oyster sauce ¼ cup
• Garlic, chopped 1 clove
• Honey 2 tsp
• Water just a splash

To serve

• Fine green beans, blanched 1 packet
• Sesame seeds, toasted 2 tbsp
• Micro herbs for serving

Method

For the meatballs

1. In a large bowl, combine all the meatball ingredients and season well.
2. Use a tablespoon to divide the mixture and roll into balls.
3. Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the meatballs in batches until golden all over and cooked through, about 10 minutes for each batch. Set aside.
4. Combine the sauce ingredients in a pan and place over a medium heat.
5. Cook the sauce for about 3-5 minutes or until sticky. Stir regularly.

To Serve

Serve the meatballs with the green beans and garnish with sesame seeds, micro herbs and the sticky sauce.

Top Tip

For a budget-friendly sauce, combine 1/4 cup BBQ sauce, 2 chopped garlic cloves and 1/4 cup sweet chilli sauce.

Sticky lamb riblets

Serves 6   

Total time 40 min plus 30 min marinating time

• Hoisin sauce 1/3 cup
• Honey 1/3 cup
• Soy sauce 1/3 cup
• Lime, zested 1
• Lamb riblets, separated 1kg
• Spring onion, sliced 2 Red chilli, chopped 1
• Fresh coriander, chopped 2 tbsp

1. Combine the hoisin sauce, honey, soy sauce and lime zest.
2. Pour the mixture over the riblets. Toss to coat evenly.
3. Cover the riblets and marinate for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 190°C.
5. Arrange the riblets on a greased baking tray and roast for about 30-35 minutes or until crisp.
6. Place the riblets onto a serving platter and garnish with spring onion, chilli and coriander.

Top tip

For a cheat’s marinade, combine store-bought sweet and sour sauce, a splash of soy sauce and coriander.

It’s in the secret sauce

Still gathering all those dreamy Asian pantry items? No worries, the My Kitchen team has you covered with these quick substitutes:

Sesame Oil is made from untoasted sesame seeds and has a nutty taste and a distinct sesame seed aroma. Use canola or olive oil as a replacement.

Indonesian Sweet Soy Sauce is a sweetened version of soy sauce. It’s darker in colour and thicker in consistency. As a substitute, add 1/2 cup soya sauce and 1/4 cup honey to a saucepan and reduce until it becomes syrupy.

Mirin is a type of rice wine similar to sake. It has more sugar but less alcohol, a less acidic flavour, and more of a sweetness to it. A dry sherry or sweet marsala wine will work as a substitute. Alternatively, use white wine vinegar with 1/2 tsp sugar for each tablespoon of the vinegar you use.

Hoisin Sauce, also made from soya beans, is dark in colour and is sweet yet salty. It is a thick sauce which works best as a glaze, as a flavouring in a stir fry or as a dipping sauce. To replace it, combine 1/2 cup bbq sauce with 1/4 cup soya sauce and 1 tbsp Chinese five-spice powder.

Chinese Five-Spice Powder is a must-have. It’s a combination of star anise, cloves, cinnamon, fennel seeds and Szechuan peppercorns. The perfect blend of sweet, savoury and spicy. But if you don’t have a box, use ground All Spice instead.

Photography: Fresh Living Magazine, Zhann Solomons

The post Crowd-pleasing Asian cuisines to try at home appeared first on MyKitchen.

Dive into this delicious Chinese-inspired dish of chicken hoisin meatballs with sticky rice! Hoisin is a popular spicy sauce from China, and adds so much flavour to this dish.

SERVES 4–6 // COOKING TIME 50 min

INGREDIENTS
For the meatballs
400 g chicken mince
1 egg
¼ cup breadcrumbs
1 garlic clove, grated
1 red chilli, sliced
1 tbsp sesame oil
½ cup hoisin sauce
¼ cup soy sauce
To serve
2 cups sushi rice, cooked according to packet instructions
2 spring onions, sliced
½ cucumber, ribboned

METHOD
For the meatballs
1. Mix all the ingredients, except the hoisin and soy sauce, in a large bowl and season. Shape into meatballs.
2. Heat some oil in a pan over medium and fry the meatballs until browned.
3. Add the hoisin and soy sauce and allow to simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
4. Serve the meatballs with the sticky rice, spring onions and cucumber ribbons.

Recipe & styling: Amerae Vercueil
Photography: Samantha Pinto // HMimages.co.za

The post Chicken hoisin meatballs with sticky rice appeared first on MyKitchen.

Treat the fam to some home-made Asian cuisine by preparing these delicious ginger and chicken meatballs with mixed greens!

SERVES 4–6 // COOKING TIME 40 min

INGREDIENTS
For the ginger and chicken meatballs
500 g chicken mince
½ cup crushed ginger biscuits
½ cup finely chopped spring onion
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 egg, whisked
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp soy sauce
¼ tsp salt
For the greens
1 head bok choy
½ tsp chilli flakes
3 tbsp olive oil
1 broccoli, broken into florets

METHOD
For the ginger and chicken meatballs
1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, making sure everything is properly mixed. Season well.
3. Measure out ¼ cupfuls of mixture and shape into meatballs.
4. In a pan, over high heat, brown and seal the meatballs. Then transfer to a baking tray and roast in the oven for 15 minutes, until cooked through.
For the greens
1. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Blanch the bok choy, and then refresh in a bowl of ice water for 3 minutes.
2. Slice the bok choy and set aside.
3. Heat the chilli flakes and olive oil in a pan and sauté the broccoli. Season and remove from the pan. Now sauté the bok choy. Season well.

Tip: For a vegetarian option, swap the chicken mince for mashed tinned chickpeas.

Recipe & styling: Joni Dames
Photography: Sean Dollery // HMimages.co.za

The post Ginger and chicken meatballs with mixed greens appeared first on MyKitchen.